Cannabis, also commonly known as marijuana, is a flowering plant that includes three species or sub-species, namely sativa, indica and ruderalis. The plant is indigenous to Central Asia and the Indian Subcontinent. Cannabis has long been used for hemp fiber, for oils, for medicinal purposes and as a recreational drug. Cannabis plants produce a group of chemicals called cannabinoids. The majority of these compounds are secreted by glandular trichromes that occur abundantly on the floral calyxes and bracts of female cannabis plants. When used by humans medicinally or recreationally, cannabis can be consumed by a variety of routes, including vaporizing or smoking dried flower buds and leaf portions, resins, extracted oils or waxes. However, in recent years many medicinal patients, as well as recreational users, have begun to prefer consuming cannabis in edible form, by eating lozenges, candies, or baked goods, drinking beverages, or by taking capsules.
The most well-known cannabinoid is tetrahydrocannabinol, often abbreviated as “THC.” The chemical formula for THC is C21H30O2 and it has the following chemical structure:

THC is an aromatic terpenoid and is widely recognized as the principal psychoactive constituent in cannabis. THC has a very low solubility in water, but good solubility in most organic solvents, specifically lipids and alcohols.
The cannabis plant produces hundreds of other cannabinoids, terpenoids and other compounds that are only beginning to be identified, studied and categorized. One generally recognized cannabinoid that has medical efficacy is Cannabidiol (“CBD”). It is a major constituent of the plant, second to THC, and represents up to 40% by weight, in its extracts. Compared with THC, CBD is not psychoactive in healthy individuals, and is considered to have a wider scope of medical applications than THC, including for epilepsy, multiple sclerosis spasms, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, nausea, convulsion and inflammation, as well as inhibiting cancer cell growth.
It is also believed by many researchers that many of the other cannabinoids, terpenoids and other compounds may have important health benefits and/or be capable of treating certain human diseases.
There are two characterized cannabinoid receptors in the human body, CB1, which is primarily located in the central nervous system, and CB2 which is primarily located in the immune system and blood cells. These cannabinoid receptors are naturally present and are activated by endocannabinoids that are produced by the human body for neural and cell signaling. In neurons, endocannabinoids bind to the CB1 receptors at the pre-synaptic junction and, among other effects, impact the release of gamma-amino butyric acid (“GABA”). However, when THC is present in the human bloodstream, it binds to these cannabinoid receptors and causes many different psychotropic effects.
Consumption of cannabis by a human generally results in a wide variety of psychotropic effects, but which is often referred to as a “high.” The cannabis high varies depending on many factors, including the strain of cannabis, the amount consumed, the method of consumption, the biochemistry of the individual consuming it and the individual's level of experience in consuming cannabis. That said, a cannabis high can include euphoria, anxiety, a general alteration of conscious perception, feelings of well-being, relaxation or stress reduction, increased appreciation of humor, music (especially discerning its various components/instruments) or the arts, joviality, metacognition and introspection, enhanced recollection (episodic memory), increased sensuality, increased awareness of sensation, increased libido, and creativity. Abstract or philosophical thinking, disruption of linear memory and paranoia or anxiety are also typical effects.
Cannabis consumption also often produces many subjective and highly tangible effects, such as greater enjoyment of food taste and aroma, an enhanced enjoyment of music and comedy, and marked distortions in the perception of time and space (where experiencing a “rush” of ideas from the bank of long-term memory can create the subjective impression of long elapsed time, while a clock reveals that only a short time has passed). Many individuals find some of these effects pleasing and enjoyable, while other individuals do not enjoy such effects.
Although cannabis has a high margin of safety, it can produce negative side effects. At higher doses in humans, effects can include altered body image, auditory and/or visual illusions, pseudo-hallucinatory, and ataxia from selective impairment of polysynaptic reflexes. In some cases, in humans, cannabis can lead to dissociative states such as depersonalization and derealization. Additionally, canine studies of very high doses of cannabis resulted in intoxication effects including depression, hypersalivation, mydriasis, hypermetria, vomiting, urinary incontinence, tremors, hypothermia, bradycardia, nystagmus, agitation, tachypnea, ataxia hyperexcitability and seizures. Occasionally, heavy use, or use by inexperienced human consumers, particularly in an unfamiliar environment, can result in very negative experiences. Any episode of acute psychosis that accompanies cannabis use usually abates after 6 hours, but in rare instances heavy users may find the symptoms continuing for many days. If the episode is accompanied by aggression or sedation, physical restraint may be necessary.
While many psychoactive drugs clearly fall into the category of either stimulant, depressant, or hallucinogen, cannabis exhibits a mix of all properties, perhaps leaning the most towards hallucinogenic or psychedelic properties, though with other effects quite pronounced as well. THC is typically considered the primary active component of the cannabis plant.
Cannabis growers have been developing different strains of cannabis plants that have different THC and CBD levels. Recently, medical cannabis users have been demanding medical cannabis products that have CBD as the main active ingredient, and little or no THC, providing some of the medicinal benefits of cannabis without the psychoactive effects caused mainly by THC.
A psychoactive drug, psycho pharmaceutical, or psychotropic is a chemical substance that crosses the blood-brain barrier and acts primarily upon the central nervous system where it affects brain function, resulting in alterations in perception, mood, consciousness, cognition, and behavior. These substances may be used recreationally, to purposefully alter one's consciousness, or as entheogens, for ritual, spiritual, and/or shamanic purposes, as a tool for studying or augmenting the mind. Many psychoactive drugs have therapeutic utility, e.g., as anesthetics, analgesics, or for the treatment of psychiatric disorders.
Psychoactive substances often bring about subjective changes in consciousness and mood that the user may find pleasant (e.g. euphoria) or advantageous (e.g. increased alertness) and are, thus, reinforcing. Thus, many psychoactive substances are abused, that is, used excessively, despite health risks or negative consequences. With sustained use of some substances, psychological and physical dependence (“addiction”) may develop, making the cycle of abuse even more difficult to interrupt. Drug rehabilitation aims to break this cycle of dependency, through a combination of psychotherapy, support groups, maintenance and even other psychoactive substances. However, the reverse is also true in some cases, that certain experiences on drugs may be so unfriendly and uncomforting that the user may never want to try the substance again. This is especially true of the deliriants (e.g. Jimson weed) and powerful dissociatives (e.g., Salvia divinorum). Most purely psychedelic drugs are considered to be nonaddictive (e.g. LSD, psilocybin, mescaline). “Psychedelic amphetamines” or empathogenentactogens (such as MDA and MDMA) may produce an additional stimulant and/or euphoriant effect and, thus, have an addiction potential.
In the early twentieth century, it became illegal in most of the world to cultivate or possess cannabis. However, within the last decade, some states and nations have begun to legalize the cultivation, possession and use of cannabis for medical purposes. Currently, the use of medical marijuana is decriminalized or legalized in 32 U.S. states. Cannabis is used to reduce nausea and vomiting during chemotherapy, to improve appetite in people with HIV/AIDS, to treat chronic pain, and help with muscle spasms. Other possible medical uses, which are sometimes disputed, include treatment of multiple sclerosis, AIDS wasting syndrome, epilepsy, rheumatoid arthritis, glaucoma, PTSD, depression and generalized anxiety. However, many patients and consumers are hesitant to try or continue to consume cannabis, particularly in public, due to the negative social stigma and negative health effects of smoking cannabis. Accordingly, there is a need to address the negative social stigma and negative health effects of smoking cannabis, while allowing individuals to still be able to consume it for medical reasons and its health benefits.
Further, within the last two years, several states in the United States have legalized or decriminalized the cultivation, possession and use of Cannabis for recreational purposes. Currently, its use for any purpose by individuals over the age of eighteen has been decriminalized or legalized in four states and the District of Columbia.
As such, some sources estimate that there are many more recreational users of cannabis than ever before, including new or otherwise inexperienced consumers of cannabis. Yet, one significant drawback for new recreational cannabis users, as well as medical patients, is the variability in the amount of THC that is present in any given cannabis product, whether it is a smokable product, an oil, or an edible. Because of this variability, it is often difficult for new cannabis users to correctly gauge the appropriate amount of cannabis to consume, and likewise it is often difficult for medical patients to accurately dose themselves with the proper amount of THC, CBD or other cannabinoids to address their symptoms. As such, there is a need for a product that enables a consumer to use an accurate, standardized dose of THC and CBD.
As discussed above, many medical patients and newer consumers of cannabis now prefer to consume cannabis by eating or drinking it, rather than smoking. Frequently, edibles and drinks containing cannabis are made using extracted cannabis oil. However, to date, cannabis experts and companies manufacturing edibles and drinks containing cannabis have had significant difficulty in producing edibles and drinks that did not have a strong cannabis smell or flavor. Many medical patients and novice users find this smell and taste unpleasant, as, depending on the strains used to create the oil, the smell and taste is reminiscent of a skunk, pine needles, herbs, or is strongly plant-like. This taste and smell is frequently masked by the addition of other strong flavors or sugar, yet this also often proves unsatisfactory. This is particularly true when cannabis oil is added to subtly flavored beverages such as coffee or tea. Accordingly, there is a need in the industry to develop a way to make edibles and beverages containing cannabis oil that do not have a strong cannabis smell or taste.
Moreover, due to the solubility characteristics of cannabis oil, cannabis experts and companies manufacturing oils and drinks containing cannabis have had significant difficulty in producing an oil that can be added to a drink in a way that the oil will be emulsified, or in solution, or evenly distributed throughout the drink. In many cases, the cannabis oil separates in water-based drinks, such as coffee or tea, and is unpleasant to drink. Moreover, such separation can lead to a medical patient not receiving an accurate dose, if the patient does not consume the entire drink, particularly the separated oil portion of the drink.
Accordingly, there is a need for a standardized and measurable dosage of THC and CBD in a powder form, a way to enable consumers of cannabis to accurately and repeatably deliver the same dose of THC and CBD to address their medical needs, a more socially acceptable, easier, and more convenient way to consume cannabis than smoking it, a way to render the normally unpleasant tasting concentrated cannabis oil flavorless, a way to fully capitalize on the medical benefits of CBD in cannabis products, to eliminate or minimize the psychoactive effects of THC, if so desired, in cannabis products, or otherwise control the level of THC in a consumable form, a way for users to control the THC intake and its associated effects without the negative health aspects of inhaling smoke, a way to select cannabis products made from sativa strains, indica strains or combination thereof, and that enables users to achieve the synergistic effect of caffeinated coffees or teas with cannabis, which can create a mildly euphoric effect in certain controlled doses.